


Parents

by Sorenalice



Category: Danny Phantom
Genre: AU, Angst, Role Swap
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-09
Updated: 2014-03-09
Packaged: 2018-01-15 02:41:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 606
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1288222
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sorenalice/pseuds/Sorenalice
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Danny's gut twists with discomfort and guilt.<br/>"Do I tell him or not?''</p>
            </blockquote>





	Parents

**Author's Note:**

> Based on tumblr user Onesentencemusings role swap au in which Jack is a hyper 14 year old ghost obsessed young man with two great friends and his father Danny is the middle-aged half-ghost town hero Jack is constantly trying to catch.

Danny grinned down at his young son, outwardly smiling proudly at his son’s new invention, but guiltily hoping beyond all hope that it didn’t work.

Jack loved to invent all sorts of things, but since the first ghost attack Amity Park had ever had, he’s been set on building weapons and devices to capture ghosts, and doing a very good job of it.

Unfortunately.

Because Danny is half ghost. And his ghost half, Phantom, is Jack’s favorite prey.

He once asked Jack why he hunted ghosts.

_“Those evil slime invade the town! How am I supposed to let scum like that in our world!”_

Danny had tried to tell his son that maybe not all ghosts are bad, that maybe some are good, but Jack was having none of it.

_“Dad, it’s scientifically proven that all ghosts are evil- no matter who they once were. Ectoplasm means evil.”_

Danny had even tried to get Jack to stop hunting Phantom, seeing how much of the town saw him as a hero and Danny didn’t want to be shot at by his own son.

_“They’re wrong, Dad. Phantom’s evil just like the rest of those monsters. He needs to be hunted because everyone’s trusting him and he’s getting close enough to cause some real damage. He’s planning something, I can tell.”_

Danny’s heart  _twisted_  in his chest with the knowledge that his son hated half of him, even without knowing it.

Every night, before he went to bed, he debated telling Jack. Not wanting his son to come home after a day of hunting and find out he’d killed his dad, and not wanting to damage the relationship they had. The longer he waited to tell him, the worse it would be if he did.

But every night, before he went to bed, he thought about possible outcomes.

Would he reject Danny completely?

 _"I will not be a_ ghost’s _son.”_

Would he be devastated by the fact that he’d been hunting his own dad?

_"Oh-oh god, I nearly tore- I nearly tore you apart, why-?"_

Would he capture Danny? Kill him?

_"Get back to your own world, freak."  
_

Would he accept Danny, maybe stop hunting him?

_"Dad, you’re a ghost! How are you a ghost, that’s so cool!"  
_

Would he run away?

_"Don’t try and find me. You’ll never see me again, ghost."_

Every night, Danny would sigh, and walk into his room, lay down in his bed, and fall asleep, only to wake up the next morning with the taste of guilt in his mouth.

Whenever he saw Jack’s smiling face, he thought of what could be and it ripped him apart inside.

His son hated half of what he was with a passion. How could he ever expect Jack to be ok with that?

He remembered teaching Jack how to walk, and use the toilet, Jack’s first word (Fudge, but pronounced Fuu-g). He remembered everything, like any good parent should.

Danny used to like to think he was a good parent, but with a secret that could tear his small family apart, how could he be?

Jack thought he was doing the right thing, helping the town and saving people, he was doing the right thing. But every time Danny flew away from a fight with Jack watching, when he escaped, he saw a piece of his son’s resolve crumble away like dust, the light in Jack’s eyes getting dull, and being replaced with anger and hatred.

It was horrible for Danny to watch, but he just  _couldn’t_  tell Jack.

Danny didn’t think he would be able to live if his son hated  _all_  of him.


End file.
